He beamed at me as he recalled the moment. "Last night, which is why I couldn't wait to come by and tell you."
Manuel no longer lived with me. As soon as he received his first paycheck, he moved out and leased his own apartment. I wasn't one of those parents who believed in kicking a kid out as soon as they became an adult. I was very familiar with financial struggle and had suggested he live with me a while longer to save money, but he claimed he needed privacy. At least he had been sensible about his choice, finding a moderately priced apartment in a good neighborhood.
"Asking Blossom to marry me was completely spontaneous. I wanted an elaborate proposal, but I ended up popping the question after we ate dinner at my place."
I wiped sweat from my face with my towel. "Who is this young lady?" I panted.
"I've told you about her.Blossom. We met at school."
I did remember him talking about a young woman named Blossom. I had no idea they were so serious. "Have you met her parents?"
"Not yet."
Agitated, I stopped the treadmill and slowed to a walk as the speed decreased and the incline lowered. Stepping off the machine, I puffed out a tired breath. "You never went to her father and asked his permission to marry his daughter?"
"Dad, come on, that's an old-fashioned idea. People my age rarely do that. Besides, her father lives in Georgia, but her mother lives here."
Maybe I hadn't raised him so well after all. I wasn't happy. This young woman agreed to marry my son without meeting anyone from his family and vice versa.
Red flag.
What was wrong with young people these days? You raise them one way and they go completely against your teachings. It's as if my son wanted to give me a heart attack.
"Of course, you know, I have to meet Blossom."
"I want you to meet her, and she wants to meet you. We figured it would be a good idea for the four of us—me and you, she and her mother—to have dinner together. I suggested Friday night."
"This Friday night?"
"Yes. After work."
I mentally ran through my calendar. "That’s doable. I need to check with Mindy first before I confirm," I said, referring to my executive assistant.
"I left her a message, so you should have an answer when you go in this morning."
My son and I worked together. He was a junior credit analyst, and I was a commercial banker at Phase One Bank, a large outfit in the Midwest. I specialized in negotiating and closing commercial loans and spent a lot of time marketing our services to potential clients. My job wasn't glamorous, but it was exciting work, at least for me. Second only to sex, which I hadn't been getting much of these days.
"Where did you want to have dinner?" I asked.
"How about Knife & Fork?"
"Why there? It's expensive."
Manuel rubbed his hands together. "I want to make a good impression on Blossom's mom, so I don't want to go to any old place."
"Knife & Fork is one of the most expensive restaurants in town, and on a Friday night, they'll probably be booked. There are other options."
"Can we at least try?" Manuel asked.
I sighed. "All right, Knife & Fork it is. Are you sure they can afford it?"
I glanced absentmindedly at the activity tracker on my wrist. Heart rate looked good. Calories burned, good. Had my son not interrupted me, I would have burned more calories.
I suddenly realized the room was oddly quiet and looked at Manuel. He looked at me.
"No," I said.
"Come on, Dad. Don't be cheap for once in your life."
